A judge has again extended Anthem and Atlanta-based Northside Hospital System's network contract through a court order, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Anthem began negotiations with Northside in December with a deadline set for the end of 2021 to renew its network agreement. With no resolution in sight and an expiring contract set to affect 400,000 Atlanta-area patients, a judge ordered that the contract be temporarily extended through Feb. 1.
Under the judge's new ruling, the contract is now temporarily extended through April 15.
The order also requires Anthem and Northside to have a "judicially hosted" settlement conference by Feb. 26, according to the Journal-Constitution.
Anthem attempted to overturn the last court order, but legal pressure has been building. Cherokee County, Ga., announced its attempt to be added as an additional plaintiff in the legal battle, as it claims a significant impact of its residents and government employees are affected by the outcome.